BENU: 10 years in Hungary

– BENU is 10 years old this year. How will you celebrate this special anniversary?

Dr. János Zlinszky,
general manager of BENU Magyarország Zrt.

– We want to thank consumers for putting their trust in us. There will be special anniversary promotions in our pharmacies, but we will also say thank you to BENU workers and business partners. Without them we couldn’t have been this successful.

– How did you spend the last 10 years? What were the biggest results and challenges?

– Today the BENU pharmacy network consists of 360 units, plus another 100 in villages and small towns, which only open for a few hours 2-3 times a week. We started our franchise network in 2013 and every year 20-30 pharmacies join. A survey has revealed that 43% of Hungarians visit BENU pharmacies the most often. Since 2012 we have invested HUF 6.5bn in modernising our pharmacies. BENU was the first to introduce off the shelf selling in pharmacies. Many customers come to us not only when they are ill, but also to buy products that help them stay healthy. As for the challenges, they are the same as for the whole sector: frequent changes in legislation, lack of workforce, difficult operating conditions in villages and small towns.

– What are BENU’s biggest strengths?

– The most important thing is that we keep monitoring and surveying pharmacy customer needs. Our development projects are based on these results. It is also key that BENU is a pharmacy chain characterised by credibility and professional expertise. Another strength is that the BENU network covers the whole country. Shoppers like the friendly and youthful design of our pharmacies, and the more than 200 – constantly changing – products that are available in promotion every month.

– In which fields can BENU make further progress?

–The BENU concept keeps evolving and it is very important for us to always have a product portfolio that suits actual customer needs the best. We also concentrate on developing online sales, customer can order OTC products from our online shop once again, but instead of having them delivered, they can pick up the parcels in nearly 200 BENU pharmacies all over the country. We have also launched a prescription booking system called benuveny.hu. For BENU the next 10 years will also be about “Trust. Care. Health!”